Maryland is the poster state, providing a blueprint, on how to destroy a free market economy, by degrees. With progressive gerrymandering, an insatiable appetite for local, state and federal tax dollars to maintain its overbearing, onerously regulating, punitive taxing, despotic government.

The region suffered a net loss of nearly 300 businesses during the height of the recession, the bulk of which were in suburban Maryland, new census data released Thursday show.

The figures reveal that, without the federal government increasing its spending, Virginia's suburban economy is better adapted for growth than Maryland's. And that holds true for the post-recession as federal and state governments continue to watch their wallets, experts said.

"Until Maryland invests in economic development we're going to continue to lag [behind] Virginia and continue to have lower levels of job growth because our engine of economic growth is idling right now," said Richard Clinch, a University of Baltimore economist.